Hello from Friends! Here is a quick look at what's new in our work to fight AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in the age of COVID-19.
Friends Lauds Senate State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee For Including $2 Billion for Global Fund in FY23 Bill
Last week, the Senate State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee passed its fiscal year 2023 spending bill, allocating $2 billion to the Global Fund.

“Thank you to Senator Chris Coons, Senator Lindsey Graham, and the entire subcommittee, and thank you to Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Richard Shelby for increasing this vital investment in the Global Fund.”– Friends' President & CEO Chris Collins

US-Based Advocacy Organizations Share Priorities on Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) for Pandemic Preparedness
Friends, along with several other U.S. advocates, urged the Biden administration to ensure the new FIF adheres to four lessons learned in pandemic preparedness and response (PPR).

1. Governance of the FIF must include representation of the Global South and civil society

2. The new FIF should prioritize funding for existing global health initiatives that are already making contributions to PPR in low- and middle-income countries, including the Global Fund

3. Funding for the FIF must be new money and not detract funding from other global health initiatives

4. Effective PPR investments must prioritize strengthening essential health systems through existing mechanisms
Highlights from International AIDS
Conference 2022 (IAS 2022)
Civil society leaders, policymakers and activists convened in Montreal to discuss the global state of the AIDS fight in 2022. Highlights below:

UNAIDS released its yearly report:In Danger: UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022, which reported that progress has stalled in the global AIDS fight.
HIV activist & Friends' board member Maureen Murenga called on Canada to pledge $1.2 billion CAD to the Global Fund's 7th replenishment: "It is critical we get back on track towards eliminating AIDS, TB and malaria."

“The United States government is proud to host the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment, but we can’t do this alone. We need everyone to step up.”–Dr. Angeli Achrekar of PEPFAR called for global action at IAS 2022.
  It Will Take More Than Pills to End the HIV Epidemic (Essay by HIV activist)
Joyce Ouma, an HIV advocate based in Kenya, describes her personal story of testing positive for HIV at the end of high school and her journey as an advocate fighting against stigma and discrimination.

"I decided to go public with my status because I want to make things better for others. It shouldn’t come down to luck. My life’s work now focuses on fighting stigma... especially for other young women living with HIV."– Joyce Ouma
Global Fund Reports Significant Progress in Breaking Down Human Rights-Related Barriers to HIV and TB Services (Press release)
The Global Fund released an update on its Breaking Down Barriers Initiative– a program to address human rights-related obstacles that threaten progress against HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria.

“One of the most powerful lessons from the history of the fight against HIV is that success in confronting such a formidable disease cannot be achieved through biomedical interventions alone. We must also confront the injustices that make some people especially vulnerable to the disease and unable to access the health services they need."
–Peter Sands of the Global Fund
An HIV Peer Educator Lights a Fuse for Girls in Her Community (Global Fund)
Every week approximately 4,200 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years are infected with HIV around the world.

Watch the Global Fund's new 360 degree video to see how peer educators like Neema Waziri of Tanzania are leading community initiatives to empower girls to gain the knowledge to protect themselves against HIV.
How COVID-19 is Affecting AIDS, TB and Malaria
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a serious impact on the most vulnerable communities worldwide and threatens progress on HIV, TB, malaria, vaccination and other areas of health.

  • Tuberculosis: We did it for COVID-19 — so why not for TB? (Devex)

  • Malaria: Climate, Malaria Highlighted As Commonwealth Leaders Meet (ABC)
We're tracking the intersection of COVID-19 and AIDS, TB and malaria. See regular updates on our website.
Global Health News
  • Extreme Heat & Climate Change Increase Risk of Malaria, other Health Threats (Malaria No More)

  • The Importance of Equity in Pandemic Preparedness (Inkstick)

  • The HIV/AIDS Battle Is A Global Health Fight That We Can Win (Forbes)

  • Why It's So Hard to Get a Monkeypox Vaccine Right Now (Time)
Be sure to check www.theglobalfight.org for the latest. Thanks for your support.
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